Problems of Owerri-Aba and Owerri,Port-Harcourt roads to be over soon -Rochas Okorocha

The Imo State House of Assembly has urged the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha to direct the Ministry of works to urgently carry out a remedial work on Owerri-Umuahia road to reduce the sufferings of drivers and commuters that ply the road.

This is part of the resolution contained in a motion of urgent state and public importance sponsored by the member for Obowo, Barr. Kennedy Ibeh and seconded by his Ahiazu Mbaise colleague, Ichie Kenneth Agbim.

The second resolution urged the Federal government through the National Assembly to capture the issue of the dilapidated state of Owerri – Umuahia road in 2018 budget proposal for major reconstruction work.

Meanwhile, Governor Rocahas Okorocha said the Owerri/Aba road and Owerri/Port-Harcourt road that have become death–traps for users would now be fixed without delay, disclosing that the Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Mr Tunde Fashola has directed the Contractors handling the roads to  to go back to the site to ensure that they are completed after speaking with the Minister who paid him a courtesy visit, with his team at the Government House Owerri on Tuesday.

The governor assured the people of the state of the Federal government’s attention on  the issues of the two major roads in question, Power and the Federal Housing Projects in the State , Stating that he had taken up with the Minister during their private discussion.

“The Hon. Minister for Works, Housing & Power is in Imo for a short meeting. I have made my concern known to the Hon. Minister as regards the neglect in the State, especially with regard to the Aba-Owerri road and Port-Harcourt-Owerri road. And currently, it appears to me that the Hon. Minister has done a lot on his part to ensure the completion of those roads”, the governor said.

He added “the minister has also informed me that he has called the contractors concerned to see me immediately with a view to completing the Aba – Owerri road project and Owerri – Port-Harcourt Road projects.”

“We also talked about the issues of power and light in the State and he indicated the interest of his ministry to ensure a stable power supply. We also discussed about the Federal Housing project”.

The Minister, in his briefing to Journalists at the end of the Parley commended the governor in his effort to lift the quality of life in his state”.

He remarked “We have grown the generation capacity from 2,696 MW in 2015 to 7,000 MW in September this year. Transmission has also improved from 5,000 – 6,900. We now have a new problem and that is our production capacity has exceeded the distribution company’s wholesale power. So, power currently put on the grid is 4,600MW, Compare that with what we had 3years ago, we have essentially doubled it, but we can do more”.

According to him “These monthly meetings help us to do local diagnosis to what’s happening in this local Disco. To what is happening in this local communities. Some of these things I have spoken here, I have also addressed the community issues across the country, communities that host power stations without power. We are solving them one after the other”.